Battle of Isthmus
|date= April 3, 2551 - April 7, 2551 |place= Isthmus, Indi Lupi system |result= |side1= |side2= |side3= |side4= |commanders1=*Vice Admiral Zhang Qian *Vice Admiral Riya Das *Colonel Rafael Ribeiro |commanders2=*Fleet Master Tona 'Usamee *Shipmaster Ipho 'Sanaree *Field Master Goro 'Vulsamee |commanders3= |commanders4= |forces1= Orbital defense platforms 49 ships *Indi Lupi Fleet **UNSC Nairobi Sunrise *Battle Group Arlington **[[UNSC Arlington|UNSC Arlington]] *UNSC Army *UNSC Marines **ODSTs *UNSC Air Force *Isthmus security forces |forces2= 21 ships *Fleet of Pious Insight *Numerous ground forces **E'Turu Warrior Crèche **N'dolo Warrior Crèche **Y'gusa Warrior Crèche |forces3= |forces4= |casual1= |casual2= |casual3= |casual4= }} The Battle of Isthmus was an engagement fought between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant from April 3, 2551 to April 7, 2551 on the human colony of Isthmus. Prelude On March 31, 2551 Probe Relay Station Camellia logged minor slipspace and gravitational anomalies on the edge of the Indi Lupi system's main asteroid belt, once at 0400 hours (MST) and again roughly two hours later. While initially disregarded by the station's commanding officer, further investigation revealed a Covenant spy probe operating within the region. The probe was ultimately intercepted and contained, but not before it sent off its data packet to be gathered by the Fleet of Pious Insight. The UNSC Indi Lupi Fleet, tasked with defense of the system, was placed on TAC CON Beta 1Tactical Condition Beta 1 is a UNSC military readiness alert that is declared when there is a high possibility of a direct combat engagement in the near-future. It is one of the highest combat readiness alerts in the UNSC, comparable to DEFCON 2 of the United States Armed Forces and second only to Alpha-level Tactical Conditions. immediately following this revelation. Vice Admiral Zhang Qian mobilized all MAC-equipped warships to strategic rally points around the colony and all orbital defense stations, from Slayer-class weapon satellites to "Super MAC"-carrying battle-platforms, were brought to maximum readiness. Vice Admiral Zhang also alerted of the issue and all of Isthmus's emergency services were placed on standby in the very likely possibility of an Indigo SundownIndigo Sundown is an emergency code used only when an order for the immediate evacuation of all civilian population centers on a colony has been issued. This code was declared hundreds of times during the Human-Covenant War, triggering planet-wide departures on an unprecedented scale and causing the worst refugee crisis in human history. scenario. On April 1, 2551 FLEETCOM rerouted several naval assets to the Indi Lupi system to support security and defense efforts therein. The first unit expected to arrive, Battle Group Arlington, was due to report within thirty-six hours of its redeployment. The battle Opening engagement On April 3, 2547, slipspace echoes were detected near Indi Lupi IV; soon after, twenty-one Covenant warships of varying classifications—the Fleet of Pious Insight commanded by the Sangheili Zealot Tona 'Usamee—dropped out of slipstream space near Isthmus's moon Shale, expected to reach high orbit of the planet within minutes. The system defense forces were immediately elevated to TAC CON Alpha 2 in preparation for the engagement. The Covenant fleet transitioned into a loose formation once it came within 20,000km of Isthmus. More concerned with the danger posed by the orbital defense platforms than the humans' ships, 'Usamee designated the orbital array as his fleet's primary targets and began deploying waves of to insert teams of Ranger saboteurs onto these vital defense platforms, with dozens of and providing escort. The UNSC scrambled Longsword interceptor squadrons in response and while these pilots were well-trained, they were not expected to stop all of these crafts, merely slow them down and eliminate enough to reduce their impact. aboard every manned orbital station and warship were prepped for immediate action against boarders. Meanwhile, the Covenant ships entered the kill zone; their faster ships, and , accelerated to the front of the formation to form a protective screen for the larger and slower , , and . The ODPs unleashed a furious opening salvo against the enemy with at least three Covenant frigates and one corvette being torn apart in the volley. Vice Admiral Zhang also moved the Indi Lupi Fleet to intercept, leading the charge with the first echelon from aboard the UNSC Nairobi Sunrise. As expected, many Covenant boarding crafts managed to bypass the defending Longswords and insert Ranger teams on to various ODPs to plant antimatter charges. UNSC Marines clashed with these intruders on the Firth, Pomona, and Numa stations. The Covenant were ultimately successful on the Firth, but the other two platforms managed to successfully repel their initial waves of hostile boarders. Covenant make landfall Final space battle UNSC counterattack Aftermath Participants Notes Category:Battles